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TPACK
I realized this week why I started getting my Master's at Touro. I mean, I thought I knew before, It's time. The reality is, My school needs me to do this. We are like a ship floating in the sea with no direction--technologically speaking that is. Teachers go to the computer lab for iRead, or to do FASTT Math, but when it comes time for projects and to assess student learning in new and creative ways, well let me just say...crickets. This is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak.` Teachers have an incredible amount of technology at their fingertips, and when it's all working as it should, the possibilities are endless.
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I started looking around the internet for lesson plans and technology ideas. Of the sites I found, Oakdome.com/k5/ is the best for our needs. This is a comprehensive start to our gaping hole. Someone has already thought about the Common Core State Standards for technology and aligned them with projects. How did I know it was aligned to the standards? Take a look at this scope and sequence put together by the Fresno Office of Education. I learned when certain skills are introduced, mastered, and reinforced. (This is page 1 of many.)
The scope and sequence (and my previous experience teaching technology skills to kindergartners at another school) showed me just how far behind we are. Sadly, many of our students don't know what to do when they sit down at a locked computer. Think Ctrl-Alt-Del. It's ok to be shocked by this. I'm working on it.
So where do we start? Well, if you're business minded, it's with your mission. I am not business minded and asked my friend Suzanne Holliday for help.
The vision of Browns Valley Elementary is to provide students with the best learning environment possible to meet the ever-changing demands of our 21st century world. To do this we will invest in technology as an integral part of classroom instruction. When used effectively, technology changes how students learn. It also transforms the ability of staff to personalize their own professional growth. We expect effective, competent, purposeful and responsible use of technology by administrators, teachers, and students. Our goal is for everyone at Browns Valley to use technology to think critically and to solve problems creatively so they become a strong community of 21st century learners.
(You can read more about our Technology Mission if you have the time and inclination.)
The vision of Browns Valley Elementary is to provide students with the best learning environment possible to meet the ever-changing demands of our 21st century world. To do this we will invest in technology as an integral part of classroom instruction. When used effectively, technology changes how students learn. It also transforms the ability of staff to personalize their own professional growth. We expect effective, competent, purposeful and responsible use of technology by administrators, teachers, and students. Our goal is for everyone at Browns Valley to use technology to think critically and to solve problems creatively so they become a strong community of 21st century learners.
(You can read more about our Technology Mission if you have the time and inclination.)
Next it was time to synthesize our mission and the technology standards. The result was a vertical alignment for technology.
Finally, the time has come to get the teachers on board. This final step proves to be difficult as teachers are overwhelmed with a new math adoption and figuring out a new report card. So back to the computer lab I go--to teach and model lessons for teachers and ease their worry about how do I do this? I'm excited to show the first grade team Story Maker on Abcya.com. With a way to write and illustrate ideas, it's perfect for the youngest authors.
And for the older kids, photo editing, including an assessment that allows students to show before and after images explaining the techniques they learned and used.
We may be in the dark ages today, but I have started to see the light. As teachers begin to feel comfortable using technology they will incorporate it more into their lessons and practice. We have teachers at every level from survival to impact in the SAMR model. My goal is to move teachers toward innovation so that our digitally native students can benefit as much from the technology as they do from the teaching and subject matter.
